Chapter 1368: Return

Rebellion is not an easy matter, of course, that is for others.

For Wang Yan, it is simply a matter of practice.

He possesses rich experience in rebellion in various forms, with considerable preparation for handling various emergencies. Moreover, he has well ensured that even after a failed rebellion, he can keep his life and have the capital to rise again.

While he was cleaning up Luoyang and Daxing, he issued edicts to all directions. After military uprisings occurred in various places, he took control of the armies in Bingzhou, the grasslands, and the Northeast, and also received the three naval fleets. In the southern regions, he controlled the forces of several commanderies and united them.

Just as he was consolidating military power on his side, the Guanzhong, the South, including Shu, all received news that the desperate men of Daxing and Luoyang had escaped.

After the initial panic, the powerful families of Guanzhong and the South, with tacit understanding, widely allied and rose up in rebellion.

Because they had suppressed Wang Yan and divided his power, they were also involved. And they knew Wang Yan very well; they deeply knew that Wang Yan was a ruthless hardliner.

Wang Yan's attitude toward the powerful families has never concealed his disgust; too many great families have been bullied over these years. Even after destroying the powerful families of the Central Plains, Wang Yan's attitude toward them was still not good.

Those who were surrounded and killed by over a hundred armored soldiers did not retreat a single step; would they fear these powerful families?

Moreover, they actively suppressed Wang Yan and actively came to his door to cause trouble. So there is no need to think; Wang Yan will definitely kill them. Even if he does not kill them, he will make them laborers, forcing them to do hard and heavy work until they die of exhaustion.

So they did not hesitate, directly rebelling, or rather, raising the banner to protect the emperor and assist the king.

None of them expected the situation to change so quickly; Wang Yan actually rebelled directly and successfully controlled both Luoyang and Daxing, as well as the garrisoned troops.

This is too terrifying; after all, they had suppressed Wang Yan for a long time, yet he still had such great power, and at the first outbreak, he succeeded directly...

As for Shu, the situation there was relatively simple; mainly, Wang Yan had little contact with that side. There were certainly business dealings, but his influence there was insufficient.

Coupled with his attitude toward the powerful families, and now rising through rebellion, it is understandable that the powerful families of Shu reacted to protect themselves. Moreover, due to the topographical advantages of Shu, guarding the passes at various points, they could indeed resist for a while.

However, they lacked initiative; they did not send troops to assist the king but vainly attempted to split the land and establish themselves. But on the other hand, how is this not a form of initiative?

Wang Yan did not indulge them; he had predicted this situation before ascending to power, so after issuing orders to the troops, he had already mobilized the army.

The troops from Bingzhou and the grasslands went directly down to Guanzhong, eliminating the various great families there according to the lists. The troops from the Northeast and the naval forces crossed the Yellow River and moved toward the Yangtze River to suppress the forces of the powerful families in the South. Shu would remain untouched for now; after dealing with these two groups, it would not be too late to clean up that side.

The rebels were certainly no match for Wang Yan; after all, there were still a hundred thousand great troops stationed in Luoyang, he could still conscript the garrison soldiers, and there were his farms nearby, so the available forces were considerable.

Especially since his prestige in Luoyang and Daxing was quite high, the common people also strongly supported his actions; the mass base was very good.

This is a very important reason; since the people support him and do not riot, as long as he has ten thousand people, he can control the situation in Luoyang and Daxing and suppress the treacherous hearts of the various civil and military officials in the city.

Thereby drawing out a large number of troops to go out and deal with the rebels, ensuring the stability of the overall situation.

Thus, after more than a year, the rebels were defeated, and the powerful families in various places were eliminated. Another half year was used to invade Shu, cleaning up the various powerful families and officials there.

Subsequently, a purge continued for two years before the rule was completely stabilized.

Of course, during this period, he also carried out extensive policy adjustments, such as redefining various taxes, abolishing the poll tax and other miscellaneous taxes, nationalizing all land nationwide, and implementing people-benefiting policies like a one-tenth tax per mu.

At the same time, he promoted a large number of children from humble families, as well as the various people he had cultivated over these years, and various experienced clerks; he did not stick to one pattern, appointing anyone who was barely adequate to be an official. He also stipulated policies for the resettlement of retired soldiers, giving some officers opportunities to govern.

The main reason was that during the suppression of the rebellion, the vast majority of the powerful families were killed, and a large number of officials were implicated, leaving no suitable people to be officials; the shortage of officials was too great.

This was a measure that had to be taken; someone had to administer the government, after all.

At the same time, Wang Yan continued to promote schools across the land, promote universal education, and further perfect the imperial examination system. This was something Wang Yan had long wanted to implement, but there were always many obstacles; after destroying the powerful families of the Central Plains, Yang Guang became very confident and did not attach much importance to it. So it had always been Wang Yan funding the construction himself.

Now that he has ascended to power, various matters can finally be implemented.

Although currently there are not enough people who can read, and even fewer who are considered learned, there are still some; starting first is enough. After all, education is a long-term plan; without sufficient time, results cannot be seen.

In addition, there are medical clinics, which are also being opened in a fragmented manner. Before this, Wang Yan himself had already opened many, cultivating a large number of Physicians, sending them to various places to practice, while also teaching some apprentices; in five, six, seven, or eight years, more usable people could be cultivated. He did not require them to be very proficient, only to handle basic illnesses, which could solve many problems.

The top priority, of course, is the midwifery teams. Another battle has been fought, and the population has decreased by millions, causing widespread devastation. To increase the population and restore vitality, more effort must be devoted to this aspect.

In addition, to restore production, large-scale infrastructure construction was launched. At the same time, he issued paper currency to conduct economic regulation.

The technology for papermaking and printing had long been iterated by him, allowing the production of paper currency that is tough and highly anti-counterfeiting.

The conditions for issuing paper currency were certainly not mature, but there is almost never a time when they are mature; he enforced it with strong power, and no one dared to refuse. Whoever dared to dispute the value of copper coins would die.

However, overall, Wang Yan's ascension to power did not cause chaos in the world or a race among heroes; he suppressed the rebels quite easily. There was damage to production and life, but compared to the end of the Sui Dynasty in history, it can only be said that there were some losses, but not great.

After all, at the end of the Sui Dynasty, heroes raced for supremacy, so that the fifty million population of the Great Sui had not recovered even by the peak of Li Shimin's reign...

However, for Wang Yan, whatever situation the Great Sui was in, everything was in ruins and needed rebuilding.

Without the constraints of Yang Guang and the powerful families, things went much more smoothly for him. The officials, terrified of being killed, could well implement his will, giving the people of the Great Sui a relaxed living space.

The Great Sui of the present, no matter how you put it, the people cannot even talk about the word "life"...

613, Winter.

Yang Guang, followed by guards, walked along the bustling long street of Luoyang.

Approaching the end of the year, even though it was cold and snowing, there were still many people walking outside.

Benefiting from being the imperial capital, with the great army by the side, the previous turmoil did not affect the peace of Luoyang and Daxing; in fact, the population of Luoyang even increased significantly.

Another reason, naturally, was the expansion of cotton planting, plus cotton grown overseas and brought back, which greatly reduced the cost of cotton and popularized its application.

As ordinary people living in wealthy areas, relatively speaking, they also had some spare money; over the years, they had all been equipped with cotton clothes, cotton trousers, cotton quilts, etc., greatly enhancing their ability to withstand the cold.

In recent years, centered on Luoyang and Daxing, within a radius of a hundred li, no one had frozen to death.

Wang Yan had a complete intelligence system here, confirming that it was not that people froze to death without reporting, but that there were none.

Cotton enhanced protection against the cold; even if a house collapsed in a great snowstorm, one would not freeze to death immediately. In addition, there was the application of coal; everyone burned stoves for warmth.

Actually, ancient China was not very good-looking; fire is a basic necessity of life, and mountains were cut bare, so how could it be good-looking? Only the imperial gardens and the mountains of the powerful families, where common people were forbidden to cut, could have some aesthetic value. Furthermore, there were the steep mountain ridges, which were hard to cut; cutting them meant losing one's life, otherwise they could not be preserved.

The third point was the stable supply of grain; grain prices did not fluctuate widely due to domestic disasters, remaining stable within an affordable range.

Even if it was cold, one could light a stove, cook hot porridge, and slurp down a bowl, which would be enough to get through the severe cold.

Wang Yan's merit was immense.

These were all things he had done over these years by constantly spreading his influence and mobilizing various resources.

Yang Guang had forgotten his roots; after leveling the powerful families of the Central Plains, his power reached its peak, and the powerful families of Guanzhong and the South dared not disobey. But Yang Guang did not understand that his power came from Wang Yan's support. With Wang Yan's deterrence, his power could radiate outward.

He did indeed highly concentrate military power and did indeed strengthen centralization, but that was from the perspective of the proper institutional structure, not exercising power under such a structure.

If his power could not be exercised and implemented locally, what use was it?

Now, Yang Guang, walking the streets with his hands behind his back, after several years of thinking and reviewing, finally understood that the entire court was full of rebels, and only Wang Yan was a loyal minister, yet Wang Yan was still the one he himself forced into rebellion...

Watching people walk and shop on the street, watching the stall owners shouting to attract customers, watching the steam in the restaurants, through the dewdrops on the glass windows, one could see inside people clinking cups and glasses, with a roar of voices.

The children, their faces red from the cold, happily hopped and skipped alongside the adults.

Those with red lips and white teeth were from wealthy families; those with red faces slightly smeared with dirt were from poor households, yet all walked the streets in high spirits.

Armored soldiers patrolled the streets in squads of ten, accompanied by the rustling sound of their armor plates shifting. Whenever quarrels or fights broke out on the street, the participants would fall silent from afar upon seeing the soldiers approach, exchange angry glances, and then disperse separately.

For if they continued fighting, the soldiers would arrive without asking who was right or wrong, using their sword scabbards to strike each person's buttocks. Only after the beating would they inquire about the cause, make their own judgment, and then beat again whoever was found to be in the wrong. It certainly hurt, but it wasn't life-threatening; what was life-threatening was the loss of face.

If the armored soldiers encountered a thief, that thief would be miserable, destined for transfer to a mine to dig for a year, afterward sent overseas to farm. As for those who stole children, needless to say, one hand and one foot would be broken; once healed, they would be subjected to forced labor within the country until they worked themselves to death.

Homeless people, whether old or young, were all taken in; the children were given books to study, and anyone capable of working was given work to do.

Enforcement in other places was certainly not thorough, but in Luoyang and Daxing, it was absolutely carried out resolutely, showing no favoritism whatsoever, resulting in exceptionally good public order.

Yang Guang walked and observed along the way; he enjoyed such worldly vitality, for it was a symbol of the empire's prosperity. As for the common people who created this vitality, he felt nothing toward them, for he had never held them in any regard.

No, whether he regarded them highly or lowly was irrelevant; in his eyes, there were no common people. To him, they were merely resources to be driven, and he cared not whether they lived or died, fared well or poorly.

Arriving at the entrance of a restaurant, he watched the master boiling mutton soup under a shed at the doorway, smelled the aroma permeating the air carrying a slight gamey scent, and his appetite surged; immediately, he entered with the armored soldiers guarding behind him.

"Bring five large bowls of mutton soup, five jin of tendon pancakes, and heat up a pot of warmed wine."

Yang Guang did not ask the guards behind him but directly ordered these items before entering the room.

The master boiling mutton soup at the entrance smiled proudly; why boil it outside if not to attract customers to dine? Look, even a nobleman guarded by armored soldiers has arrived.

Upon entering the room, the buzzing crowd inside instantly fell silent when they saw Yang Guang enter, followed by the four armored soldiers. Yet, after seeing Yang Guang and those four soldiers find an empty table and sit down, the people paid them no mind and resumed their buzzing chatter.

The rules were different now; since Wang Yan ascended to power, the common people had become far more relaxed.

In the past, even the servants of noble families dared to whip commoners, and the nobles themselves bullied men and seized women without any scruples. Now, search throughout Luoyang and Daxing, and you will absolutely not find a single official who dares to casually humiliate the common people.

Just three years ago, while wars were still being fought outside the city, a son of an official's family in the city forcibly abducted a commoner's daughter; an old man knelt at the inner city gate to lodge a complaint. When the matter reached Wang Yan's ears, that official, who had escaped the initial purge, was sent to forced labor, while that son, right at the inner city gate before the eyes of the common people, was sliced to death piece by piece.

The final cut was made by that old man.

After the slashing, the old man knelt at the city gate, kowtowing frantically in the direction of the imperial palace...

This incident was merely a catalyst; afterward, Wang Yan issued proclamations urging the common people to report anyone who had bullied them. Whether officials or merchants, all were dealt with miserably.

Thus, the nobles who still survived in the city had become obedient; no one dared to casually humiliate the common people anymore.

Therefore, the people drinking mutton soup in this room did not fear the nobles; initially, they fell silent only because they did not know what business the nobleman accompanied by armored soldiers was about, but seeing that he was simply there to eat, they naturally had no reservations...

"Have you heard? After the New Year, there will be an enthronement ceremony; the General is going to become Emperor."

"Is that still some kind of secret? He should have ascended long ago; the General has us common people in his heart, so he will surely be a good Emperor in the future."

Discussing these matters, everyone found a common topic, speaking of the differences since Wang Yan took power, nor did they forget to curse Yang Guang and those ministers known by name.

Several armored soldiers watched Yang Guang, who was smiling, silently exchanged glances, confirmed their consensus that Yang Guang had gone mad, and then continued to gulp down the mutton soup and eat the tendon pancakes.

Yes, Yang Guang simply listened as these people cursed him, smiling all the while.

It was not that he had gone mad; rather, he was helpless.

Having comfortably drunk the mutton soup and the warmed wine, Yang Guang patted his belly in satisfaction and made his way back to his residence.

It was none other than the Duke of Wu's mansion; Wang Yan had swapped residences with him, and apart from the dozen or so beloved women Yang Guang had brought with him, everyone else in this courtyard belonged to Wang Yan.

When Yang Guang returned, he saw Wang Yan right there, blanching mutton and sipping wine.

"Come, let's have a drink together."

Facing Wang Yan's invitation, Yang Guang did not refuse; he sat opposite and poured wine for himself.

"You know about the enthronement ceremony; you must attend this affair as well."

"You arrange it; however you say, so shall I do."

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement: "Have you figured it out?"

"I haven't figured it out, but thinking is useless anyway; you aren't going to kill me, I spend money every day, stroll the streets, it's quite nice. You are quite humane."

Yang Guang spoke with great sincerity.

For Wang Yan had not imprisoned him, allowing him freedom of movement, giving him much money to spend, enabling him to enjoy all sorts of novelties. Except for being unable to be Emperor, everything else was quite fine.

He was now striving to father children, intending to have many children and spend much money, just to disgust Wang Yan.

After a moment's thought, he asked: "Wang Yan, I want to hear an honest word from you. If I did not want to kill you, would you still have rebelled?"

"Would you not want to kill me?"

Yang Guang paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, raising his wine cup: "To victory!"

"To victory!"

Wang Yan smiled, raised his wine cup, and drained it in one gulp...

?? Daily thanks to the good brothers who generously donate, cast monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, and silently read the book for their strong support!

? (End of Chapter)